House of Commons Hansard #31 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was nations.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is all we needed. Here he is, like the Minister of Canadian Heritage, offering us the RCMP's phone number.
Considering the point we have reached, and the fact that the criminal code is now being invoked, is the Deputy Prime Minister going to acknowledge that the Prime Minister is the one who holds the key to this affair and that the solution is for him to table the record of sale for his shares?
Herb Gray LiberalDeputy Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, repeating an incorrect accusation does not make it true. The accusation is incorrect. It needs to be withdrawn. If he believes it, I challenge him to repeat it outside the House.
Joe Peschisolido Canadian Alliance Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, last week in the House the minister of immigration said that the Amodeo file had followed normal departmental procedure. Yet the Amodeos had to provide with their application documents certifying that they had no criminal record and were not under police investigation.
How did Mr. Amodeo and his wife get a meeting with immigration officials if he had not provided those two police certificates?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is quite wrong in the premise of his question. There was no meeting. There was no interview. In fact the file, as any file, does not proceed unless all information is attached to it.
What I say to him is that he should be careful about believing everything he reads in the newspapers, even if it is the Corriere Canadese or The Hill Times .
Joe Peschisolido Canadian Alliance Richmond, BC
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question that I asked. According to the minister's own application form, in order to get a meeting scheduled two police certificates have to be provided.
Once again, let me ask this question very simply. Did Mr. Amodeo and his wife provide those two police certificates in order to get that meeting? Yes or no.
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, there was no meeting. There was no interview. Mr. Amodeo is not an immigrant. He is not a permanent resident. Unless someone attaches all relevant documents to an application that application does not go forward in the process.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, when we questioned the government on the respect of human rights and democracy in China, the Prime Minister said that the government felt that strengthening ties with that country would be the best way for us to promote these values with the Chinese government.
How can the government justify that, in the case of Cuba, it adopts a diametrically opposed position and rejects the presence of that country at the Summit of the Americas? Why this about-face?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, it is important for the Bloc Quebecois member realize that we are also committed to Cuba.
We have trade relations with that country; CIDA has programs in Cuba. On a bilateral level, we are committed to China and we are also committed to Cuba.
The difference is that when we organize a Summit of the Americas to promote democracy and establish a free trade zone of the Americas to strengthen democracy, we are talking about a much narrower context and we are fully justified, as hosts of the summit, to act as we are doing.
Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC
Mr. Speaker, precisely, the summit is not just about the free trade zone of the Americas.
Yet, the government's attitude toward Cuba is opposed to that displayed by all Canadian governments since Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Does that sudden about-face not simply show that this government does not really have a foreign policy but merely follows the United States, which does not want to see Cuba at the summit?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to now see the Bloc Quebecois use Pierre Trudeau as an example. Last week, it was Bernard Landry who referred to Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Things are going well in Canada.
I can assure the hon. member of one thing: Our government has applied Canada's foreign policy vis-à-vis Cuba in the respect of the established tradition. We have remained committed to Cuba and we will continue to be.
The difference with the Summit of the Americas is that when we host an event, as we will be in Quebec City, it is normal to respect the consensus that exists through our hemisphere, and this is how that decision was made.
Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB
Mr. Speaker, in June 1999 Gaetano Amodeo and his wife submitted an application for permanent residency.
Officials from the department stated that 23 months is the average one can expect to wait to receive permanent residency. Mrs. Amodeo's application was approved twice as fast as would normally be the case. Given all the problems with this file, why was Mrs. Amodeo's application put on a fast track for approval?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the premise of the member's question is absolutely wrong. All procedures in this case and others were appropriate and normal. There were no inappropriate interventions.
I would suggest to him that he get better researchers, that they get the facts, and that if they are to ask these questions, they know what they are talking about.
Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB
Mr. Speaker, there is nothing routine about this application. On May 25, 2000, the minister of public works wrote a letter to the department making pointed inquiries about Mrs. Amodeo's application.
Did other individuals lobby on behalf of the Amodeo family, or was it just the minister of public works?
Elinor Caplan LiberalMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, my department receives over 40,000 representations from MPs and senators, 6,000 alone in Ottawa. The premise of his question is wrong. It is inaccurate. There were no inappropriate representations made on this file.
I would suggest that the representations made by members from his party and members of the House are very appropriate. My department takes them very seriously. That does not mean that following an intervention of a member there is any inappropriate response from my department.
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, in recent news articles there has been speculation about more money forthcoming to our merchant mariners. These veterans provided priceless service during World War II, and the government has come forward with a compensation package for them.
Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs confirm the government Senate leader's assurances that another $35 million will be provided to fully compensate merchant navy veterans?
Ronald J. Duhamel LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Francophonie)
Mr. Speaker, no one can give any assurance of any amount of money with respect to the merchant mariners at this point in time.
I have consistently said that once we have heard all the appeals, and we should have that information by March 31, I will go back to cabinet to see what can be done. Shortly thereafter, that is after March 31, probably within the next month, I should be able to do that.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, on Friday the Minister for International Trade claimed the government will protect education and social programs under GATS, but in the same breath he is champing at the bit to give Canadian corporations greater access to foreign markets.
The funny thing is that this is exactly what the Americans are saying. How will the government protect education with increasing pressure to allow transnational corporations access to our public education system?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, it is quite simple. The GATS negotiation is a bottom up approach. Some countries may decide to open their education system. They may decide to open their health system. This is not something Canada will do. Let me be absolutely clear about that.
If some other countries decide to open their health and education systems, we want to make sure there are fair and equitable rules applying in the trades and services for Canadian companies that have the expertise and that want to propose it to the countries that choose to open their systems, which is not the situation in Canada.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the minister is either naive or he is trying to delude Canadians with his wishy-washy position.
The real evidence of the government's intent is the fact that it stood by and watched Alberta give DeVry Institute degree granting powers. This opens up a huge door for a NAFTA challenge that would allow private for profit universities access to public funds.
Again, why is the minister putting our public education system at risk both under GATS and under NAFTA?
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I do not understand how the NDP cannot accept moving into this century and accept honestly that we are trying to promote a rules based system in order to help with where the economy is going.
When we try to have a rules based system in services, we are only going where the international economy is going. We have done it for goods.
We know that the NDP just does not like trade. It does not want to move with the times. It could not even applaud Tony Blair in the House when he said that free trade was good for the poor. That is the problem.
Scott Brison Progressive Conservative Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, in 1990 the current finance minister said that he would “manage the decline of the Canadian dollar so that it settles at its true value of between 78 cents and 81 cents U.S.” Since 1993 the finance minister has managed the decline of the Canadian dollar to 63 cents.
Does the finance minister still believe that the dollar's true value should be in the 80 cent range? If so, what is he doing to get it there?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would simply remind the finance critic for the Reform Party of the difference in the Canadian economic—
Paul Martin Liberal LaSalle—Émard, QC
Sorry, you never know; you never know. I cannot help it. He certainly sounds like them.
I remind the critic for the Tory party of the difference in the situation between 1990 when his party was in office and today. If he takes a look at employment, productivity, disposable income and debt reduction, he will see that the fundamentals are far—